Work is not a place

The need for a physical work-place is beco­ming obso­lete, says digital culture evan­ge­list Roland Judas. “In the past, you needed tools that were physical, a camera, a work­bench. Now the tools are digital. At least 50% of jobs are based on digital tools and digital arti­facts.”

Roland Judas

Roland works as a Free­lancer in the area of Cultural Change, Agile Trans­for­ma­tion and Auto­ma­tion of Processes, helping corpo­rates to tackle the chal­lenges of Digi­ta­li­sa­tion and Disrup­tion.

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First there is the issue of time. “You can order goods 24/7. There are no restric­tions like office hours, busi­ness hours, or even opening hours for shops.” As for tools, more compa­nies are foste­ring mobi­lity with note­books and similar tools. “Instead of some cash regi­ster, you can work on your iPad.” Even banking services are avail­able for your smart­phone. Yet, many compa­nies still do not under­stand.

Judas puts this down to a psycho­lo­gical block. “There is still the thought that I need to be present at my work desk so that people see that I’m working.” And there are good reasons for flexible work times and loca­tions. “We have people who can do great work in the morning or over­night. If the tasks allow it, they should be able to choose the times when they feel most comfor­table and crea­tive to work.” But there are issues to look out for.

Working and commu­ni­ca­ting with others across time zones can be an issue. “In the worst case, you have one team in India and one in the US. It is quite chal­len­ging to find meeting times but it is abso­lutely possible if you’re not tied to fixed work sche­dules.” Also, a chal­lenge is working at home and dealing with family, friends, and neigh­bours. “You might get asked if you are unem­ployed or if you are working at all if you are at home around noon.” But there is a need for physical contact in the working envi­ron­ment between colleagues. “I really recom­mend that you have times when you bring people toge­ther.” And he even suggests virtual social meetings, such as having small talk by Skype while colleagues eat.

Compa­nies can do several things to create a more mobile work­force, Judas says. One is increase know­ledge among the work­force about the digital tools avail­able to them at work and in their private lives. Second, promote trans­pa­rency. Mana­gers should provide clear goals and remove blocks, while sta should commit to what they can achieve. This keeps people moti­vated and self-su£cient. And perhaps most important, is trust. “If you ask some­body, ‘who are you?’, most people talk about their jobs. This is their iden­tity. And we have to trust that most people like their job because it gives them iden­tity.”

Roland Judas

Roland works as a Free­lancer in the area of Cultural Change, Agile Trans­for­ma­tion and Auto­ma­tion of Processes, helping corpo­rates to tackle the chal­lenges of Digi­ta­li­sa­tion and Disrup­tion.